The growing reliance on computers for enterprise transactions brings with it increased need to ensure proper security. The growth in wireless networks further increases this need, in order to reduce the likelihood of eavesdroppers stealing Internet access and/or gaining access to restricted computing resources.
One particular environment where these issues arise is in business establishments frequented by customers, such as retail environments or restaurants. When such establishments use wireless computing devices to conduct transactions with customers, the establishments are faced with an increased security risk as eavesdroppers attempt to gain access to the wireless network.
This problem is exacerbated where there are a chain of retail outlets belonging to a single enterprise, and where each of those outlets use substantially the same wireless network configuration. A wirelessly enabled laptop or other computing device stolen from one outlet may be taken outside the premises of another outlet, potentially allowing unauthorized access to the computing resources belonging to the entire enterprise. A prior art way of addressing this problem is to simply revoke the security access rights for any stolen computing device at the wireless access points belonging to the enterprise. However, where an enterprise has hundreds of outlets, the process of revoking the security rights for each and every access point at each and every outlet can prove daunting and/or administratively impossible.